Relatives of a schoolgirl who fell seriously ill after taking ecstasy claim deadly tablets are being sold on the street for as little as 50p.
Three 12-year-old girls were rushed to hospital from Salford after taking pills nicknamed ‘teddy tablets’, sparking a police warning over fears more could be in circulation.
Read more: Schools in Salford to issue new warnings to pupils after girls hospitalised
The three friends were critically ill but are now recovering. One was due to be discharged on Monday and the other two remain in a stable condition in hospital.
The M.E.N. can also reveal that:
• Relatives believe a mystery good Samaritan who dialled 999 probably saved their lives.
• They say the girls took the pills believing they were harmless sweets.
• The tablets involved were shaped like teddy bears and were pale pink in colour.
• Anti-drug messages will be delivered in schools across Salford in the wake of the incident.
• The girls’ schools will provide support to their families and life-saving advice to other pupils.
Police were called to Salford Precinct in Pendleton at 9.50pm on Saturday after reports that three youngsters had fallen ill. Emergency services found the first of the girls collapsed at the shopping centre. The second was found later on nearby Belvedere Road and the third about an hour later on Trafford Road.
Read more: Three girls aged 12 now 'stable' in hospital after taking ecstasy pills
One of the girls has now been moved out of intensive care at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool onto a ward. She’s due to give a statement to detectives.
Her family spoke out to warn other children of the dangers of drugs.
A relative said: “We think that these tablets are being sold for as little as 50p. She was in a very, very bad way. If it hadn’t been for the person who dialled 999 when they did, it might have been another story. She was all over the place and the police had to calm her down.
“We think she did not know what she was taking but whoever has phoned the ambulance has saved her life. She is very lucky.”
Read more: Teenage boy fighting for life after taking ecstasy known as 'Rockstar'
Another relative said the girls were given the tablets for free - they didn’t buy them.
The relative, a cousin, said: “She is doing well and is awake and talking. We are always waiting for updates, but she is doing well. We think the girls have been given the pills believing they were sweets. They are shaped like a teddy bear and were in a pale pink colour. We want to make people aware as drugs should never be left around.”
A man aged 22 and a 21-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of being in possession of a controlled substance. Both have now been bailed until July 15.
The girl’s relative added: “The doctors did say that it wasn’t looking good at all at first. They had to put her on a heart monitor because her heart was racing so much. It has been horrible seeing her these past few days. We want to put a stop to children being able to get hold of drugs. People need to be aware.”
Read more: Drug tragedy teenager 'was killed by double-strength ecstasy'
The M.E.N. isn’t identifying the three girls involved.
Schools across Salford are issuing a new warning to all children following the drugs scare. Talks will take place at all the city’s schools.
Councillor Lisa Stone said the council was ‘shocked and saddened’ and added: “We will use all of our resources to reiterate the message in schools about the dangers of drug taking. From a safeguarding perspective you have to ask what is going on. It is disgraceful that 12-year-old girls can end up in hospital after taking drugs.”
One of the girls attends Buile Hill High School in Pendleton and the other two are pupils at the Oasis Academy in Ordsall.
Both schools said the girls’ families would be supported alongside drug awareness talks in the classroom.
James Inman, head at Buile Hill, said: “Our thoughts are with the girls and their families at this time and we hope they all make a full recovery. The safety of our young people is our main priority and we will continue to talk to them about the dangers of taking illegal substances and how the body reacts to them.
“We will continue to receive regular updates on their condition and do all we can to support them and their families.”
Fiona O’Sullivan, principal of Oasis Academy, said: “We are deeply saddened to hear of the recent news and our thoughts and prayers are with the students and their families. At Oasis Academy MediaCityUK we have no higher priority than the safety and wellbeing of all of our students.
“When an incident takes place out of school we will do everything that we can to support our young people and their families. We deliver a robust and highly effective personal social and health education programme which has very recently been praised by Ofsted and other external stakeholders, and we will continue to do all we can to encourage our students to make positive and healthy life decisions.”
